A Moment
by Broken Philosophies
Summary: There was a moment where it began and where it ended. There was a moment where he laughed and she cried. There was a moment where both parted ways and there was a moment where they came back to each other. Kaku/OC Rated M (to be cautious)
1. Prologue: The Unraveling

**A Moment**

Summary: There was a moment where it began and where it ended. There was a moment where he laughed and she cried. There was a moment where both parted ways and there was a moment where they came back to each other. Kaku/OC

* * *

**_Prologue: The Unraveling  
_**_"'I don't love you anymore,' is all I remember you telling me; n__ever have I felt so cold,  
but I've no more blood to bleed__ 'cause my heart has been draining into the sea."  
_—Rise Against, _Blood To Bleed_

* * *

What does it feel like when your lungs are bursting?

That is a question that Aqua had asked herself so many times. Why, you may ask? Well, to put it simply, because she was too damn curious and wanted to know how painful it was. Was it an instance? Was there pain? In your last moments, could you feel the water rushing through your mouth and inside your body? Could you feel the claws and hear the chains of Davy Jones as he dragged you down to the watery depths of his locker? Would your eyes close or stay open, forever watching the world above?

However, it may be a question she asked herself, Aqua never wanted it to happen to her. Though, in this moment, if she didn't find the breath her lungs so desperately needed, the answer to her question would make her roll in her grave. With wide brown eyes and blood dripping from her face, Aqua stared at four familiar faces in shock. Dressed in black, her most beloved friends stood over Iceburg, his shoulder red from a wound made, undoubtedly, by the people he trusted most.

"What..." Her voice cracked, stepping forward before an arm shot out to stop her. The cream haired female turned to look at the redhead's back.

"Don't." Was all she said, her voice in a low growl as she stared at the group.

Aqua looked back at the four before letting her eyes stray to Paulie, battered and beaten with small holes in body. They must've done that _Finger Pistol_ on him. "Paulie!" Her lungs screamed, leaving her throat to burn and the flavor of pennies to fill her mouth.

"Stay back, Aqua," the blonde warned, face pinched in agony. Never in a million lifetimes would he ever expect to be betrayed by them.

_Breathe in, breathe out. _Aqua thought, evening out her heavy breathing. This couldn't be happening; it was all a nightmare and she would wake up to arms wrapped around her and a warm body coiled around hers. But why did feel so _real_? Why did the blood on her face feel so warm and wet? Looking at her hands, she counted her fingers, reading somewhere that you have extra fingers in dreams. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... ten. _Throat clenching, the young woman clenched her hands into fists, her blunt nails digging in the skin of her palm. She slowly looked back up and glanced at each one of them, their faces forever burned in behind her eyelids. Her brown eyes met the black orbs that made a shiver racked her body every time because of their intensity.

But now, they were empty, just like all the things he said to her.

_"Aqua," he whispered, mouth hot around her ear as his arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer to him. _

_"Hmm." She hummed in reply, letting out a small sigh of pleasure at feeling his feverish breath on her ear and neck. A familiar feeling curled in her stomach and scattered throughout her body. His chuckle shook her body, feeling her leaning in to him. He let his free hand rub her inner thigh, lovingly stroking the limb. She squirmed a bit before letting out a little moan. "Stop teasing me!" She whined, clutching at the hand and pausing it._

_"But it's so entertaining in seeing you all flustered." He laughed, intertwining their fingers together. He placed an opened mouth kiss on her shoulder, his tongue coming out and licking at the mark he left on her. A gasp left her, her muscles stiffening until she relaxed against him. Smirking against her skin, he gently let go her hand and squeezed her breast and brought his mouth to the skin below her earlobe, whispering, "You are exquisite." _

_She chuckled, her brown orbs search for those black eyes she admired. When she made eye contact with him, she flipped them over so she was on top, smiling down at him. She dragged her fingers through his hair, taking in the delight of hearing his pleasured sigh and content expression. Biting her bottom lip, Aqua trailed her hands down his face and cupped his cheeks, rubbing small circles under his eyes. "I am the luckiest girl in the world." _

_He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her chest to chest with his body. He kissed her, long and sweet, savoring her taste and her little mews as he nipped at her tongue and lips. Raking his hands through her hair, he tugged, enticing a low growl of approval from the female's throat. Laughing, the young man broke the kiss as uncontrollable snickers left his body. After a second of staring at him, Aqua joined in, her small giggles turning into loud barks of laughter. Their sniggering mingled together, filling the room and echoed off the walls. Propping on his elbows, the young man let himself look over the young woman as she tried dissolving her giggles. _

_Chest heaving, legs straddling his waist, cream colored hair falling down in waves to her back, brown eyes staring straight into his, lips bruised and swelled from the slight abuse, and bite marks scattered all over her peach tinted skin. His rough palm journeyed up her thigh to her hip, pressing tenderly and tracing the tattoo with his thumb. She trembled under his hand, causing him to grin as the palm traveled further up, brushing her side and passing the curve of her breast and shoulder to her neck, trailing his thumb down the smooth column. Aqua let out a shuddering breath when he pushed her face towards his, eyes burning with something that she could only describe as desire. _

_"Aqua," he caressed her name with passion. She was lost for a moment, her heart beating loudly in her ears. She was sure that he could feel her pulse. _

_"I love you," she murmured, knowing that for the rest of her life, she wanted him beside her; to share a bed with her; to laugh with her; to form a family with her. _

_For a second, his face was unreadable and Aqua started to regret the words that poured from her mouth. Just as she was forming the words of a 'forget what I said', the young man gripped her chin and kissed her roughly; his teeth clashing with hers. Surprised by the attack, Aqua waited a minute to return the kiss. "Say it again," he muttered in her lips, teeth biting and tongue stroking every crevice of her mouth. "Please, say it again." _

_She smiled gently, running her hands through his hair. "I love you." And it was true and she wanted to declare it on every rooftop of Water 7. She loved him and if he asked her to say it again, she would gladly do so. _

_He brought her back to him, hugging her close and sliding his hands through her hair. Sighing contentedly, Aqua closed her eyes, her head in the crook of his neck. Her breathing slowed, her muscles relaxing and her body becoming nothing but pudding in his grasp. But before she let herself in the land of dreams, she could have sworn that she heard, "I love you." And then, she was gone. _

"Kaku..." Her eyes welled up with tears, her teeth biting down on her lip. The ginger looked at her blankly, no more of that sheepish, sweet, and charming young man that stood in front of her. Now, there stood a cold blooded killer working for the World Government in the name of "justice". There stood, in the place of the man she fell in love with, one of the men that helped in the assassination of her mentor; her boss who she looked up to and loved like an uncle or older brother.

"Surprised, Aqua?" Lucci spoke, his voice cold and smooth as he turned his dark eyes on her. She stepped back, air leaving her lungs.

"No, no, no." She chanted, shaking her head three times. "This is just a-a nightmare a-and I'll j-just wake u-up and it'll b-be just another d-day of work." Her eyes glanced at Kalifa and Blueno, an unstable smile reaching to her face. "A-And I'll visit Blueno at his b-bar and then Kalifa w-will d-drag me back to Galley-La; this isn't re-real." Voice cracking and shoulders shaking, she laughed. Tears slid down her cheeks, hitting the floor and her stomach heaving; she wanted to puke.

Lucci smirked coldly at the female, turning to her slightly. "Oh, how you wish for this to be all a dream, don't you?" He took a step in her direction, but the redhead blocked her from his view.

"You stay away from her." Aurora snarled, claymore unsheathing in preparation of using it.

"But it is a dream! None of this is real!" Aqua screamed, causing the everyone to look at her. "I JUST WANT TO WAKE UP!"

"_Finger Pistol,_" Lucci whispered, lunging forward and jabbing his finger through Aqua'a chest. Blood spouted from her lips, eyes wide in shock, Aqua gasped out a silent scream. Muscles tensing, she clamped her hand down on Lucci's wrist, trying to find balance. She witnessed the widening of Lucci's satisfied smirk and shrieked when feeling his finger curl, causing more blood to pour out. "It was all part of the job, Aqua," he said, enjoying the look of discomfort on her face. "Though, we were hoping to leave here with happy memories."

"Y-You b-bast-ard!" She yelled as best as she could, her brown eyes turning into a glare at the dark haired man. "I-I'm going to sk-kin you!"

Leering, he leaned in closer to her, whispering, "Would you really hurt me? One of the few who knew you and made you laugh? Would you really hurt your friend?"

Aqua sneered, tears still running down her face. "Anyone who brings harm to the ones I love are no friends of mine."

Lucci just chuckled, removing his finger and letting her drop to the floor, clutching at her chest. "It was a pleasant five years, Aqua, but it would seem that you know too much; you must die."

Aqua didn't move as her muscles tensed for the final strike. Her eyes closed in defeat, feeling her energy leave her. She couldn't stop them if she tried. She was just too tired and, plus, her chest was bleeding profusely with her heart mangled and crumpled —beating weakly in her chest. _How? _She asked herself, seeing their four faces flash through her head and remembering all the laughs they shared. She remembered how Paulie use to yell at Kalifa for wearing short skirts; Blueno having his arms out wide in a welcome when she walked in his bar; Lucci, when using Hattori as a puppet, helping her gain up on Paulie when he complained about money; Kaku talking in that strange way he did, sounding more like an old man and making her laugh and fall in love with him as each day passed. _How could they be the same people I came to care for? _

Biting her quivering lip, she brought her hand to her eyes, trying to stop the tears from tumbling down her face. She glanced through her fingers and saw Iceburg's angered expression. Aqua gave him a smile; her final goodbye to the person that took her off the streets and under his arm. She owed everything to that man and shame filled her body when she realized that she could never give him the gratitude he deserved. She was going to die; right here in front of five pirates, her boss and colleague, and four people she held dear to her heart. She was going to be killed by none other than one of those people. As Lucci prepared his final blow, one last thought crossed Aqua's head,

_How could everything be so fucked up?_

* * *

**Hi guys! So I re-watched the Water 7 arc and I absolutely fell in love with Kaku! There's something about him that makes him lovable —even when he reveals himself to be one of the CP9 agents. I'm surprised there aren't more Kaku fanfictions! He's such an interesting character —having the appearance of a kid and talking like an old man! I JUST LOVE IT. Anyways, when I was watching the Water 7 Arc, I thought about what it would be like if Kaku was involved with someone over the five years he was there? Well, that was when I thought about Aqua (I came up with her name when they started talking about ****Aqua Laguna —I know, original right? But give her chance; you'll know why she was named that in later chapters [maybe chapter 1?]) **

******So, I hoped I kept everyone in character, especially Lucci because he's kind of a toughie for me. I don't know why either. Hmmm... ********Welp, I hope you guys like this prologue. Remember: **

******REVIEW. I love to hear from you guys. **

******[Updates won't be as frequent since "Let the Shackles Fall" is my main priority and I have school breathing down my neck. It'll be nice if you guys would be patient. See you guys on the flip side; PEACE OUT!]**


	2. Chapter One: Square One

**A Moment**

Summary: There was a moment where it began and where it ended. There was a moment where he laughed and she cried. There was a moment where both parted ways and there was a moment where they came back to each other. Kaku/OC

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Square One**_  
_"I owned every second / __That this world could give / __I saw so many places / __The things that I did / __Yeah, with every broken bone / __I swear I lived..."_  
—OneRepublic, _I Lived_

* * *

Snoring softly, Aqua's head landed on the table with a muffled _thump_. The noise or impact didn't awake the female from her slumber as more snores rumbled her body. The occupants in the restaurant/bar all stared at the nineteen year old strangely, wondering why the girl would suddenly fall asleep. The blonde man beside her just gave her a glance before he went back to sipping his saké. She was alright, he told himself. Besides, this happened on a weekly basis. Paulie liked to think that the girl was narcoleptic, even if she did deny it; her dismissiveness didn't make it any less true.

"Is she alright?" Kaku inquired, his wide, child-like eyes staring at the female in confusion and concern.

Paulie looked at the ginger and shrugged half-heartedly. "Oh yeah, this happens all the time," he answered, taking another swig of his drink. Earlier today, Iceburg handed over the two newbies that would start work tomorrow to him so that he can show them around and stuff. Truthfully, the blonde didn't really want to do that, but Iceburg was his boss and what he says, goes. Aqua was just one of the lucky ones that they met up with when they were going to Blueno's bar. The young adult decided to tag along and meet the newcomers.

"Narcolepsy?"

"Yep."

"Ah."

Kaku was the "talkative" one of the two. He was tall and lanky with a white hat (with a bill) on top of his orange hair. He has round, wide dark eyes that made him appear younger than nineteen with a long, rectangular nose sticking out of the top of his high collared orange (with blue sleeves) shirt. Jeans and white sneakers completed his outfit. His skin, or what Paulie could see of it, was a lightly tanned. However, it wasn't just his appearance that made him stick out, it was the way he talked that grabbed everyone's attention; he had the speech pattern of a seventy year old man. Nonetheless, he was a good kid and Paulie wouldn't judge on appearance and personality alone.

As for the other arrival, his name was Lucci and he was the silent one. He hasn't said a word since he has gotten here. Only his pigeon, Hattori, talking for him. He was tall and slim, wearing a white wife-beater, brown trousers with caramel suspenders, and black toe-caps. He had two crossed out squares on both of his upper arms. His wavy, black hair came to his shoulders as a top hat with a sepia band around it atop of his head. He had a neat, shaven goatee and arched eyebrows, accenting his dark eyes. His skin tone was strange. It kind of reminded Paulie of when you put a small amount of chocolate syrup in your milk and you got more of the white than you did the chocolate. As for his pigeon, Hattori was white and had a red neck tie around his feathered nape.

Unexpectedly, Aqua's head jerked up, causing her balance in the chair to tip backwards. She landed on the floor, groaning softly from the collision between her back and the hardwood floor. "Damn," she cursed, picking herself up from the ground and setting the stool on it's legs again. She glared over at Paulie as he sipped from his saké, ignoring her. "_Gee_, thanks for catching me, Paulie. My back and I are forever in your debt." Rolling her eyes, Aqua sat down, yawning and rolling her shoulders.

The blonde just gave her a smirk. "I didn't know you were gonna do that," he answered, laughing when her glower darkened.

Mumbling, the cream haired girl laid her chin in her right palm. Silence had descended upon the group of four; five if you count Hattori. Aqua grabbed her glass of water and chugged from the cup. Beeping stabbed through the silence like a knife cutting through a piece of cake. Three pair of eyes went to Aqua as she pressed a button on her wrist watch. Sighing, the young female hopped down from the stool, slapping down money to pay for her water.

"Leaving?"

She nodded, giving the boys a tiny, tired smile. "Yeah, I gotta have some alone time to myself. If I didn't, I would go insane." Paulie's eyes rolled in their sockets at her answer. She laughed loudly, knotting her fist in her hair. "Night boys, don't have _too_ much fun; you'll regret it." After she departed with her final sentence of the night, she swaggered out of the bar, door swinging behind her.

"She's..." Kaku trailed off, not finding a good enough word to describe Aqua.

"An oddball?" Paulie provided, not giving a care since he's called her worse before.

"No, no," the ginger replied, shaking his head slowly and looking at Paulie. "I was going to say eccentric."

Paulie barked out a laugh, "Oh, kid! Aqua's more than just '_eccentric_'. She's a weirdass and the girl knows it." The blonde's shoulders shook with laughter. "You have a lot to learn about Galley La's very own Mirage Aqua!" Paulie continued his sniggering as Kaku stared at him, bemusement dancing across his face. What did he have to learn about her? Did Paulie mean personality wise? Whatever it was, Aqua was just a simple enigma he'll figure out sooner or later.

* * *

_"Dad?"_

_"Yes, honeybee?"_

_"Where's momma?"_

_The question hung in the air for quite a long time. Befuddled, Harou blinked twice, pausing his movements of washing the dishes. His green eyes straying the gaze at his daughter. Aqua's head was cocked to the side, her brown eyes wide and innocent, giving the impression that she was purely curious as to where her mother's whereabouts might be. Swallowing, Harou continued in the motions of cleaning dishes._

_"Well, honeybee, your mother is on a... very big adventure," he replied, choosing his words carefully._

_Pursing her lips, Aqua hummed. "When will she be back?"_

_Though, by nature, Harou was a blunt man, hardened over the many years of life on the sea, the man would always sugarcoat bad news to his daughter. At the age she was at, she didn't deserve heartbreak and he would make sure that —as long as he lived— he would never see her tears. It was his job after all, right? "Uhm, well, darling..." His eyebrows furrowed a bit, his teeth nibbling on the inside of his cheek. "Your mother won't be back for a long while."_

_"How long is a 'long while'?" Harou laughed, ruffling her cropped hair. "Hey, stop! Dad! Now my head's wet!" She pouted, causing another bark of laughter from her old man. Grinning, Aqua forgot her questions and laughed with him._

Opening her eyes, Aqua sighed. She wiped at her eyes, trying to erase the last remnants sleep had of her. Yawning, the young nineteen year old plucked herself out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom. She took her shower quickly and efficiently, making sure she was clean and smelled just as adequately. Huffing out a large breath, the young woman dried off and braided her hair. Thrusting a purple tank top and white shorts on, Aqua grabbed her working boots and slung them over her shoulder before leaving her small apartment. She climbed down the seven flights of stairs easily, skipping the last two by jumping and landing softly on the ground below. Her bare feet padded on the cemented ground, _slap slap slap_, as she walked her way to work.

If there was one thing that Aqua enjoyed, it was Water 7. The people here were just so warm and inviting. Sure, there were some that had problems with their neighbors, but they always settled it. And they loved visitors. May it be Marines, pirates, Revolutionaries, or just regular everyday folk —as long as they were pleasant— the people of Water 7 welcomed them with open arms and answered any questions they may ask.

Aqua liked to think it was because of the mayor, Iceburg. She smirked, thinking of the purple haired man. Not only was he the mayor, but he was the president of Galley-La —her boss. He was a good man; a hard worker back in his day. Although, the man did have his quirks. Sometimes, Iceburg would have his moments where he would have the personality of a five year old and cancel all of his meetings that were planned for him that day. Other times, the man was the most professional bloke she ever had the pleasure of knowing. Above all else, Iceburg is a good mayor and boss, but an even better man.

"Good mornin', Aqua!" Maine, a clerk that sold produce, waved to her, smiling as brightly as the rising sun.

The nineteen year old smiled back and waved at the forty-something year old man. "Morning, Mr Maine. How're the wife and kids?"

"They're doin' well, lass! 'Ave a wonderful day!"

"And one to you, good sir!" The greeting from Maine created a domino effect; every person that she walked by that morning told her to either have a nice day or good morning —and she, in return, told them the exact thing, her smile growing by each person who addressed her. By the time she reached Dock One, her entire face was the poster child of happiness. Her brown eyes were bright and practically a caramel color. Shoving on her brown, scuffed boots, the cream colored female was ready for work.

Going through the doors of Dock One and flashing her ID, Aqua's eyes spotted a familiar head of blonde and she grinned mischievously, thinking of a perfect way to get him back. And he was with the newbies, Lulu, and Tilestone. _They must be giving the newbies a pep talk for today, _she thought as her walk turned into a sprint. Once she was close enough to where the blonde smoker couldn't dodge, Aqua yelled, "Oi, Paulie!" He turned to see who called him, only to get a peached skinned body landing on his abdomen.

Breath knocked out of him, Paulie's eyes squinted up at the young female who was straddling his stomach before moaning. "Dammit, Aqua! What the Hell was that for?!"

"For letting me hit the floor last night!" She answered, smiling that toothy smile of hers.

Rolling his eyes, he sat up, pushing her off in the process; she stood along with him, her hands coming up and brushing the dust off of her clothes. "Well, maybe if your narcoleptic ass di—!"

"How many times do I have tell you? It's not narcolepsy!"

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know—insomnia?"

Paulie rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Insomnia my ass. Insomnia doesn't make you fall asleep."

Not knowing what to do, Aqua just stuck her tongue out at him. "I meant the effects of insomnia." She told him before whispering, "You uncultured pig-fart," under her breath, eyes glaring at the ground.

"What was that, brat?!"

"Oh, are you hard of hearing, old man?"

"Why you—!"

"Good morning, Aqua!" Lulu interrupted, purposely getting in between the two hot heads before they started a brawl in front of the new workers. The tattooed man slung his arm around the young woman's shoulder and brought her to his side. "How has your morning been?"

"Pretty okay, Lulu," the girl answered, knowing that the man was trying to stop the fight that her and Paulie were starting. She liked his efforts; A for trying. But he knew that they would only start arguing again later in the day. She let the taller man steer her away from the steaming blonde and her new co-workers as Tilestone tried calming Paulie down. "And what about yours?" He smiled and palmed down his cowlick as he replied, only for the cursed cowlick to grow out of the back of his hand. Aqua tried paying attention to the details of his morning but couldn't help let her mind to wander to his cowlick. _How the Hell does that even happen? _She remembered one time when he brushed it back that it grew out of her left nostril.

To say that she freaked would be the understatement of the year. Paulie laughed for a good week until she stole all his cigars and favorite denim jacket and hid them away. Poor guy couldn't even find them and she put them in plain sight; she stowed them under his bed. Let's just say that Aqua was the one cackling for a week till she cracked and told him. Hell, the guy was so happy that he kissed both items! But when he found them, he was pissed and dragged her from whatever she was doing and started yelling her ear off; saying that it was wrong to steal other people's things. All she did was roll her eyes and walked away.

If there was one thing that Aqua loathes the most, it would be lectures.

Anyway, after Lulu and her conversed a bit, they both went their separate ways. Him to his block and tackling, pitching, and (on certain occasions) blacksmithing while she went to her office where many ship designs were. Blueprints were scattered all over the floor, some were pinned to the wall, and others were piled upon her desk. Most of these designs didn't even make it out to production since they were deemed 'dangerous' —air quotations needed. Aqua was just lucky that she had an ongoing imagination or she would be out of the job. That or she would be working out in the field a full ten hours instead of half that time.

See, nobody at Galley-La only had _one_ job; they had multiple sub-jobs that all clicked together to form one, whole job. Hers just happened to be designing, blacksmithing, and mechanics. Each day she would spend three hours designing, four in blacksmithing, and another three in mechanics. Sometimes, it just depended on the day and how many of the men that worked in that occupation was out for the day and needed help.

Murmuring softly to herself, Aqua smiled before closing the door to her office behind her. It was just a regular day for one Mirage Aqua.

* * *

_"We'll begin with a spin, traveling in the world of my creation," _Aqua hummed under her breath, letting her head fall in the nook of her elbow as she doodled absently. _"What we'll see will defy explanation..." _She didn't look up when five people sat down with her, not really caring about the world around her as she let her mind wander to places it had never trotted before. _"If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it. Wanna change the world? There's nothing to it..."_

"Is she always like this?" Kaku asked, giving the girl a strange look.

Paulie, Lulu, and Tilestone all nodded and chorused a "yeah" and went back to their food. Although, Paulie added, "I told you last night, kid, Aqua's a weird-ass; you just gotta learn to accept that and move on." Unexpectedly, the cream haired girl stopped drawing and set her pencil down. The five men watched her, anticipating for her next move. Her brown eyes scanned over the five —six if you counted Hattori.

"Does Iceburg have any meetings today?" She asked, clicking her pen three times fast.

"Probably," Lulu stated, "but knowing him he might have already cancelled them."

"Why do ya need to see the boss, kid?!" Tilestone asked, his voice booming.

Gesturing to her notebook, she replied, "I have some more designs for him to look over. I'm wanting to see if these can _actually_ pass production." The three men that knew her best frowned at her statement, knowing that Aqua'a designs were the ones most likely to be denied. The only reason for this was because Peter —head of manufacture— doesn't like Aqua. Nobody knows the reason for it but Paulie has a sneaky suspicion that it was because Aqua was a woman working a "man's job".

It was silent before Tilestone's voice cut it, "Don't worry, kid! I'm sure they'll pass!"

She smiled, shaking her head slowly. "Yeah, well Peter would rather shove his head up Paulie's ass than to take my designs," she chuckled before gathering her notebook and putting her pen behind her ear.

"Why's that?" Kaku asked, his dark eyes trained on her.

Aqua looked at him for a long moment, possibly wondering when he had gotten there or he came with the guys. Lucci and Hattori were even there. _Huh_, she thought, _maybe I should start paying attention more. _"Uhm, maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm a female and Peter's a sexist pig?" She shrugged her shoulders, her brown eyes scanning the cafeteria. "I don't know. The man just doesn't like me."

"No, no. You're right, Aqua," Paulie added, finishing off his lunch with a lit cigar between his teeth. "That man is sexist. He talks trash about Kalifa all the time."

"Why doesn't Iceburg just fire the guy already?" Little, cute, and fluffy Hattori cooed from his perch on Lucci's shoulder.

"Fire whom?" The calm and oddly deep voice of Iceburg made Aqua jump out of her skin.

"Eep!" Looking over her shoulder, the young female stared wide eyed at her boss. "What the heck, boss?! If you wanna see my heart all you had to do was ask!"

He smiled at the nineteen year old as she laid her head on the table. "No, nothing of the kind, Miss Aqua." He chuckled, glancing at the other men and saw how Kaku stiffened. "I just came over to say hello."

"Well, that was a strange way o—OUCH!" Aqua rubbed her sore knee, glaring dangerously at Paulie as he gave her a warning stare. The purple haired man saw the exchange and chuckled inwardly. There was never an end with these two.

"Afternoon, boss!" The blonde stated cheerfully, huffing out a breath of smoke from his cigar. Tilestone and Lulu followed after him, greeting him with a "Hello, boss!" or a "How're you doing?"; you could only guess whose greeting was the loudest.

"I'm doing well." He then looked at Aqua as she stared at him with bored eyes. "Now who should fire who, again?"

The men didn't answer. They didn't want to question Iceburg's authority of hiring anyone, no matter how bad their personality seemed to be. If they were a hard and dependable worker, then that was good enough with them. However, Aqua didn't feel that way since she was the one to answer, "You should fire Peter."

"Oh?"

She let out a hum of agreement, ignoring the shaking heads of three of her co-wokers. "Yep."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's a sexist pig who doesn't know when to shut his trap."

"Oh my, any examples?"

"Lots."

"Name one?"

She paused, thinking of a moment when Peter openly showed his disgust to the girl. "Last Friday, he called me a stupid girl and shoved my designs back in my face—literally. Then he proceeded to mumble 'she shouldn't be working here, this is a man's job', whatever that means." Her frown deepened. "Now, I'm not saying the man doesn't know how to do his job, because he can. I'm just saying that he doesn't have what it takes to be a _decent_ co-worker when operating with the fairer sex." Then she gave him a smile. It wasn't a nice smile or an angry smile, it was like a constipated grin that told she was awkwardly frustrated. "Although, no matter how much the guy grates my nerves, he doesn't deserve to be fired."

Iceburg smiled, looking down at the cream haired girl and remembering only two years ago that she was roughed up and telling him to get lost. "Nmaa~" he hummed, "I will have a word with him."

Blinking, Aqua jerked a little before picking her notebook up. "I have some new designs and I was hoping to have them looked over before they moved on to manufacturing—you wouldn't mind, would you, boss?"

He took the bulging notebook from her hands, feeling the weight of added papers. "Nmaa~" He smiled and gestured for her to follow him. "I don't have any meetings today and I would love to see what your mind has created since the last time I viewed your sketches." Together, the two walked off, leaving the other men at the table.

"Where's Kalifa?" Aqua asked, looking around the blonde.

"She's on break."

"Ah~" She paused, her brown eyes squinting. "I like her better."

"Hm?"

"Itsuki was a bitch."

Iceburg sighed. "Aqua." He said, tone warning.

"Hey," she defended, putting her hands up in mock surrender, "it might be a hard accusation but it's the truth."

Iceburg might have not been saying anything but he was silently agreeing with her. Itsuki was a—well, she wasn't the nicest person around. Sure she didn't take crap from anybody but she wouldn't cancel his meetings when he wanted her to. Also, she didn't like Aqua —always calling the younger girl names behind her back and insulting her work. What was it with women going behind each others back and talking about them in the most unflattering way? Iceburg sighed internally. He would never understand women. They were too complicated. Except Aqua. Because she was easy to read (well, for him it was easy to read her. Paulie always complained about the girl being strange and hard to read). Okay, so maybe Aqua was kind of a conundrum in her own right but you just had to look close enough to understand what she wanted or what she was thinking.

"Boss?"

Iceburg turned at the sound of said girls voice. "Yes?"

They paused outside of his office and he wondered, briefly, how long they walked in silence. Feeling arms incircle his mid-section, the older male looked down at Aqua. "Thank you," she mumbled, only pausing for a second to squeeze him before propelling herself back and opening the door to his office. "Age before beauty, boss!" She gave him that beaming smile and he couldn't help but to smile back.

"Dust before the broom," he quipped back, seeing her grin widen. Laughing, she followed behind him, letting the door shut behind them; an audible _click_ sounding before there was nothing else that suggested that they were even there.

* * *

**Welp, here's the official chapter 1! Woo! I really hope that I did a good job of keeping everyone in character, especially Iceburg and Kaku. Anyways, I just have some things to point out from the Prologue; Aurora is not Aqua's sister nor is she, in anyway, related to her. Aurora is from my other story "Let the Shackles Fall" and since the story began where the Straw Hats busted in Iceburg's room where CP9 were unmasked, I decided to throw Aurora in that mix. Second, like I stated before, updates on this story won't be as frequent since I have not only another story on the works but I have school and no matter what, school is my first priority. But I do apologize for the inconvenience. **

**Anyways, I would like to thank the ones that have reviewed, favorited, and/or followed: gaarablack, valeries26, SaraLoveDefender, SNicole25, Narunosuke-Namikaze-Uchiha, Greengirl011, Animelover007, Amymikaelson, and Princesa de la Luna. **

**It means the world to me that people have actually read and enjoy this. Hope that it gets better as it progresses! And don't forget to drop a review and tell me how I'm doing! I love getting feedback from my viewers! **

**P.S. I apologize for any mistakes you may find. **


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